Finals Tonight for Baldwin Oratorical Contest

Five finalists have earned the right to compete for the championship of the 131st Annual Baldwin Oratorical Contest, one of the nation's oldest collegiate speech competitions.

Three Wabash seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore will compete for cash prizes and the complete works of William Shakespeare at 8:00 p.m. today in the Korb Classroom of the Fine Arts Center.

Jeremy Burton ’08, Trey Chinn ’05, Bryce Chitwood ’08, David Pitcher ’07, and Jon Schwarz ’05 advanced to the final round in semifinal competition last Thursday and Friday. All five have composed speeches on this year's topic, Refuse/Resist.

The Baldwin Oratorical Contest is named in honor of Judge Daniel Pratt Baldwin, a long-time trustee of Wabash College. A well known orator and teacher, Baldwin was best known for his lectures on English literature and economics; he often spoke on the topic and value of the liberal arts. On the evening of the first competition in 1873, he presented each of the finalists with the complete works of Shakespeare.

Judges for Tuesday's final round are classics professor Jeremy Hartnett, soccer coach George Perry, and Crawfordsville High School language arts teacher Martha Lewellen.